Bristlenose In Cold Water Tank?

[nurglespuss]

Hi all

Well, as I seem to be unable to find any hong kong/chinese hill stream loaches in my area, I've decided to look elsewhere for my 'bottom' dweller.

I've kept bristlenoses before, and have one in one of my tropical tanks, but have read some vague accounts of them being able to live well in unheated aquaria.

Now I have a recently setup aquarium with floating plant cover, and white cloud mountain minnows (with decent water flow), I'm trying to avoid the 'planted' tank route again for a while, but will add some java fern and/or java moss.

The tank gets down to aroun 17'C at night and up to 20 in the day time (during summer this will change, but I hope this will trigger spawning in the white clouds).

So, do any of you have experience of keeping britlenoses healthily and happily in cooler wateR?

Many thanks,
Gareth.

 

[Carlovel1]

IMO I've kept Bristlenose Pleco and Common plecos in large unheated tanks with no problems.I would say 16C is the absolute minimum for BN plecos, colder than that and they'll probably die
Carl

 

[Squidward]

IMO I've kept Bristlenose Pleco and Common plecos in large unheated tanks with no problems.I would say 16C is the absolute minimum for BN plecos, colder than that and they'll probably die
Carl

Bulldog Plecs (Chaetostoma) prefer cooler temps. A few of the species come from high mountain streams. Perhaps one of those would be ok.

 

[nurglespuss]

Thanks both

I'll let the tank settle in some more, and then give it a try

 

[JenCliBee]

16 is to low it will also be a little low for chaetostoma species to. You will probably find them very lethargic and unresponsive to food at such a low temperature. 19-20 would be ideally bare minimum and if you could keep them temps constantly you should be fine.

Usually warmer water helps aid digestion and given 16 been quite cold it may actually in time be more harmful to there health.

 

[nurglespuss]

Hmmmmm I was hoping to avoid the heater, as wanted minimal input.... any alternatives?

I don't suppose there are any small loaches/catfish that anyone has tried at cooler temps?

I once had a african bumblebee that lived and fed for a year in cold water (thought it had passes away, survived sitting in a tree root!).. But thats too predatory for what I'm after....

 

[kizno1]

Not a catfish or loach but what about a type of garra. If the tank is more than 20G then a group of 3+ will work. Or you could go for a type of akysis i have 10 and there great fish.

 

[nurglespuss]

Hi thanks ik will looke them up! One of the new white clouds seems to have exited my tank during the day unfortunately... so got a bit more space..

 

[kizno1]

How big is the tank? Whats the stocking? What filter?

Most of the catfish that work at cooler temps need a strong current and really well oxygenation water.

 

[the biffster]

once took two bubble up filters
out of two breeding tanks thought i
had lost the fish moved the female b/n
to another tank any way i took them
out of the tank an put them into a bucket
of tap water untreated it was room temp
any way never thought any more about it
the next day i went to clean the filters
out and put them back in the breeding tank
and you'll never guess what i found yes
one male b/n and 20 to 25 baby b/n all still alive
and swimming around a bucket of unfiltered untreated
unheated tap water they must be hard little fish
is they can survive over night in a bucket

 

[kizno1]

once took two bubble up filters
out of two breeding tanks thought i
had lost the fish moved the female b/n
to another tank any way i took them
out of the tank an put them into a bucket
of tap water untreated it was room temp
any way never thought any more about it
the next day i went to clean the filters
out and put them back in the breeding tank
and you'll never guess what i found yes
one male b/n and 20 to 25 baby b/n all still alive
and swimming around a bucket of unfiltered untreated
unheated tap water they must be hard little fish
is they can survive over night in a bucket

Short term hey probably would do fine at cold temps but long term like fishyjake said the lower temps will slow there digestion which wont do them anygood at all.

 

[Carlovel1]

I had a few books which stated that BN temp is 16C-something C. Don't know how reliable the books are but BNs are ok with colder temps. Obviously they won't be as active as in warmer waters but hay ho...

 

[the biffster]

once took two bubble up filters
out of two breeding tanks thought i
had lost the fish moved the female b/n
to another tank any way i took them
out of the tank an put them into a bucket
of tap water untreated it was room temp
any way never thought any more about it
the next day i went to clean the filters
out and put them back in the breeding tank
and you'll never guess what i found yes
one male b/n and 20 to 25 baby b/n all still alive
and swimming around a bucket of unfiltered untreated
unheated tap water they must be hard little fish
is they can survive over night in a bucket

Short term hey probably would do fine at cold temps but long term like fishyjake said the lower temps will slow there digestion which wont do them anygood at all.

that was some ten years ago mind you
and it was only for about 10 hrs
in the wild i think they come from
fast flowing hill stream that are fairly
cool to the rest of the main rivers

 

[JenCliBee]

I had a few books which stated that BN temp is 16C-something C. Don't know how reliable the books are but BNs are ok with colder temps. Obviously they won't be as active as in warmer waters but hay ho...

Unfortunately not been as active isn't just the only concern, the metabolism slows down also with colder temperatures and food isn't so easily digested which can cause serious stomach/gut problems. They shouldn't be in cold conditions and as the saying goes, surviving is far from thriving and thriving isn't what they will do in colder temp'ed tanks.

 

[nurglespuss]

The tank is small, but is filtered by 2 HOB filters. so a decent current generated! I also do 10% weekly water changes.

Oh and I was wrong about the white clouds, no.5 has returned from whichever extra-dimmensional place he disapeared to!